I want to be awesome....er!!!! I know of flight 1 formal courses. Are there any more canopy courses out there that travel around....or is it better to pay an instructor at my home DZ (skydive san diego)? How can I get some great instruction so I can dominate this art?

ps. I'm not trying to get all swoop happy with my limited experience. I would like however to learn some fundamentals that may set me up for that in the future.

good advice...I agree, I am not trying to swoop nor do I desire to do so any time soon . However, I did like the instruction that I recieved through my licensing process, and wouldn't mind some follow on canopy instruction. I look at CRW and Swoopers as subject matter experts and would like to find courses or classes that can teach me how to become a better pilot.

or is it better to pay an instructor at my home DZ (skydive san diego)?

You should be able to find a suitable coach somewhere between your home DZ, Perris and Elsinore. You have an amazing amount of talent within an hour or so, someone out there can help you.

Call Perris and Elsinore and tell them you're interested in a canopy control course for a new licensed student, one that will build on the canopy skills you learned when you got your license. See what they have to offer in both group and private courses, and then go from there.

You sound like you have a good attitude 'now', don't let that turn into something else 6 months down the road. No matter how many courses you take, or how bad you want it, the simple fact is that you only get one landing per jump, so your jump numbers mean a lot. On top of that, you're going to bo moving through different canopies and sizes, and each time you switch, there's a degree of 'starting over' that occurs. Even if you're sharp as a tack on one canopy, when you downsize or change wings, you go back to being a dull pair of safety scissors.

Learn all you can, just don't be stupid or assume that you're anyting but 'average'. If you really are 'great', you find that out way down the road when you start winning competitions. If you assume you're 'great' early on, you might find out the hard way that you're not.

I'm pretty pumped and ready to learn. I have a lot of good people around that have coached and mentored me. I'm now looking to branch out and expand my knowledge and skill. I want to become a good pilot and understand it takes TIME! Conditioned responses take 1000's of repetitions, I want to start my conditioning with no bad habits. Hence the desire for coaching.

Earlier this season i set up Flight 1 at our dz for 3 days, If you get the opportunity to go through their course it is well worth it. We had everything fom 20 jump students to 1000's of jump swoopers. Everyone found the course very good. with any luck we are gonna have them back in the spring for some advanced training..

Talk to Scott Harper at your DZ. He should be able to help you. I believe he is a flight-1 instructor and puts on courses periodically.

Second this. I've known Scott since we were both baby skydivers (he's since gone pro and has waaaaaayyy more experience than I do now) and he's turned into a really great canopy pilot & coach. He's good people and will give you professional coaching. And he's local, so you'll be able to follow up as needed.